(1) Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a system for detecting and encoding indirect associations in stimulus patterns and, more particularly, to a system for detecting and encoding indirect associations in stimulus patterns by performing inductive logic.
(2) Description of Related Art
Content-addressable memory (CAM) is a special type of computer memory used in certain very-high-speed searching applications. CAM compares input search data against a table of stored data, and returns the address of matching data (or in the case of associative memory, the matching data). In “Content-Addressable Memory (CAM) Circuits and Architectures: A Tutorial and Survey,” IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 41, No. 3, pg. 712-727, March 2006 (hereinafter referred to as the Pagiamtzis reference and incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein), Pagiamtzis and Sheikholeslami surveyed CAM architectures. However, these architectures do not discover new associations. In current systems, an association between two items (e.g., a new item A is associated with a previously encountered item B) can only be stored in an associative memory when it is encountered, or through a logical process that takes time.
Therefore, a continuing need exists for an associative memory system that has speedier recall and makes indirect associations without needing to directly experience them, thus discovering knowledge.